Friday, January 31, 2014

The Look for Less

Just had to share my latest budget-friendly find. As you know, I'm sprucing up my basement this winter. This is the design board I created with the vision I have for the space.



Notice the weathered brass end table?

Arteriors Santiago Iron End Table

Price: $756


Now, I was not really considering spending nearly $800 on an end table for my basement that will likely be completely abused by my children. I just liked the look, and figured maybe I'd find something similar.

Well, I did…


Threshold Metal Honeycomb Accent Table


Price: $63.99

I was perusing the aisles of my beloved Target, and this little gem jumped right out at me. It was marked down from an original price of $79. Score!


If you're in the market for an accent table in a weathered brass finish, run to Target. They'll hook you up.

Now, I haven't seen the Arteriors version in real life. Perhaps it is a solid iron piece, unlike my hollow Threshold table. Or maybe it's solid gold.

But, for my purposes, I'll take the look for less.

Have you scored any looks for less lately? I'd love to know.

TGIF, friends!! Let's get this weekend started...


Sweet Ideas for Getting Cozy: Take Two



This arctic weather is crazy, isn't it? I don't know how things are in your neck of the woods, but here in Indiana, we're bracing for more snow and more subzero temps. It is brutal, and feels like it might never end.

Now, more than ever, it's nice to come home to a warm, cozy house. So, let's talk about "getting cozy."
Every cozy house must have these…

THROW  BLANKETS 






via









via








via




Daniella Witte


McAlpine Tankersley



via







One Kings Lane







via




via




From cable-knit to cashmere and tartan to houndstooth, I love a good throw. Warm up your home by draping them over chairs, sofas, ottomans and beds. Hang them on a quilt ladder or store them in baskets so they're easily accessible whenever you need to curl up and get cozy.


You can see my first idea for cozying up your home HERE


Stay warm, friends!!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Basement Makeover Update


Happy Friday, friends!

Have I told you lately how much this winter is kicking my butt?! It is so cold, and the kids have had a delayed start to school every morning. My youngest is still in preschool, so a delayed opening means he  has school from 10:30 to 1. I try to get projects, blogging, shopping, exercising, etc. done when he is not home, so as you can imagine, I'm getting very little accomplished.

I was looking forward to a girls' road trip to IKEA this weekend, but due to freezing temps and more snow on the way, we've decided to postpone :(.  I was hoping to get a few items for my basement makeover, but that will have to wait.

In the meantime, I've been playing around with some pieces I already have on hand.





I found these vintage woven pillows in my parents' closet. They belonged to my grandparents, and I love the colors and designs.




I've also had these woven rugs in my linen closet for years. My grandparents gave them to me, and I was never sure how or where to use them.





I think I will hang them as part of the gallery wall I'm planning to do with my kids' artwork. Mixing these few items with other contemporary pieces will hopefully give me a fun, eclectic vibe. I don't want to go overboard with the southwestern thang.


My media cabinet is coming along nicely thanks to my husband. He doesn't usually get involved with my hair brained ideas  DIY projects, but I think he was taking pity on me (you know, because of the shingles). I went downstairs one day to find the painting nearly done…




I don't know why I waited so long to paint this bad boy. I like it so much better than this…




Have a fun weekend, and stay warm!!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Sweet Ideas for Getting Cozy: Take One





When I think about how I want my home to feel, the word "cozy" is always at the top of my list. And, after the amount of time I've spent stuck indoors this winter, I have a renewed appreciation for all the little things that make a home warm and cozy.

I thought it would be fun to do a little blog series on my favorite design elements for kicking the cozy factor up a few notches. It seems appropriate to start from the ground up, so my first idea for getting cozy is...




Style at Home




bhg.com



Ozarchitects



Amber Interiors



domicile interiors llc



Southern Living



Milk and Honey Home



Lonny







Much the way we layer our clothing in cold weather, our homes should be layered for warmth and comfort. A natural rug, such as sisal or seagrass, draped with a hide or a colorful rug is a great way to add richness and texture to a room.  I also love a mix of colorful and patterned rugs piled together.

If you're lucky enough to have hardwood floors, layered rugs add a beautiful softness to them. Placing a rug on top of carpeting adds visual interest and helps to hide carpet you may not be particularly fond of :)

I am loving layered rugs, and I have a few areas in my home that could definitely benefit from this look.   I'm on the hunt now for some budget-friendly options. I'll let you know what I uncover.

What do you think of layering rugs? Is it an idea you can cozy up to?

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Basement Makeover Begins (with a slight glitch)



After a very long winter break, my kids were finally able to go back to school this morning. As much as I love being home with my family, there was a little too much time spent cooped up inside. I was ready to get out and about this week.

Unfortunately, life had other plans for me. For some unknown reason, I now have shingles. It hasn't gotten too awful yet, but I've read horror stories online. I got on antiviral meds quickly, so I'm hopeful that my case will be mild.

2014 hasn't been off to the best start, but my snow captivity did allow me to get started on a project that's been swirling around in my head for a while.


Check out this beast of a media cabinet in our basement that the previous owners built to accommodate
a large TV...




The TV bit the dust, and I would have liked to get rid of the built-ins and hang the new TV on the wall. However, the carpet is laid around the built-ins, and I don't want the expense of re-carpeting the entire basement.


So instead, I decided to update the cabinet with paint. This is my inspiration picture...




via



I decided to use chalk paint since I had it on hand and it doesn't require priming. I've got a long way to go, but this is how it's looking...







I used "Old White" for the back of the shelves, and "French Linen" for the outside.





It's a long process as several of the pieces are plywood and suck the paint up. I've done 3 coats so far.

I'm planning on replacing the ugly black mesh fabric with burlap or an ivory linen and updating the hardware. I don't know how long it will take to get finished, especially now that the darn shingles have gotten me, but I'm hoping by the end of the month.

Wish me luck…

Hope 2014 is treating you better than me :)

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

New Year, New Project

Well, well, well…. somebody sure gave herself a nice long blogging break.

Can I blame the polar vortex for my absence?

My kids have another snow day today, making this the 19th day of Christmas break. The snow is beautiful, but -30 degrees with wind chill is insane. I may have spent some time googling real estate in the Carolinas just to keep my sanity. "In my mind, I'm going to Carolina." Seriously, I am.

When I haven't been researching the best schools in Asheville daydreaming about a move south, I have been planning some home projects for 2014. Nothing like a little cabin fever to get the creative wheels turning :)

One area of our house that could use a little sprucing up is the basement. 




This is what it looks like now.




Well, like this… but with nerf gun darts and 100,000 Lego pieces on every surface.

On one side of the enormous brick fireplace structure is the sitting/TV and video game playing area. On the other side is a bar, pool table and game area.




Since the basement is generally the kids' turf, we tend to close the door and pretend the mess doesn't exist. However, in the winter it is nice to entertain down there where we can shoot pool or play ping pong.

So, I've been thinking of some small changes I can make to create a more fun, colorful space. Here's what I came up with...







Obviously, I've already got the leather sectional. And I'll be adding two ladder back chairs that have been hanging around, unused, in the master bedroom. I'm planning to add some colorful pillows and a fun rug to liven up the room.

I have plans to create a gallery wall with the kids' framed artwork. I'm also going to paint the oak media cabinet. It's a pretty big monstrosity, so it's gonna take a while.

I don't want to spend a lot of money, so this will be a very budget-friendly makeover. I sense an IKEA road trip in my future. That is, if the snow ever melts.

Hopefully, my kiddos will be back in school and I'll be back to regular blogging soon. If not, we may be looking like a scene out of The Shining soon.

Happy 2014!! Hope you are keeping warm!

If you live in the Carolinas, tell me how great it is there. It may be 15 years before we can actually make the move, but a girl can dream.